How to Build a Resilient Team That Thrives in Uncertainty | Entrepreneur

It’s easy to lead when things are going well. The real test? Leading when everything feels unstable: the market shifts, plans unravel, and nothing goes according to script.

In my time leading ButterflyMX, I’ve learned that the true measure of a team isn’t how they perform when things go smoothly; it’s how they respond when everything goes sideways.

In those moments, your team doesn’t need perfection. They need resilience. Not just the grit to push through, but the agility to adapt, the clarity to stay grounded and the trust to speak up when it matters most.

Here’s how to create a team that doesn’t just survive uncertainty but thrives in it.

Related: Builders and Boosters — A Leader’s Guide to Forming a Resilient Team

Start with psychological safety

Resilience doesn’t start with grit. It starts with safety. If your team is afraid to speak up, they won’t problem-solve — they’ll self-protect. And in moments of uncertainty, that silence is dangerous. One overlooked concern, one unasked question, and the whole plan can fall apart.

If people don’t feel safe to be honest, they won’t help you adapt; they’ll just go quiet. And no team thrives in uncertainty by staying silent.

Model the behavior you want to see. Admit what you don’t know. Ask open-ended questions. And when someone challenges an idea, say “thank you,” not “prove it.”

Hire (and promote) for adaptability

When everything’s going according to plan, it’s easy to look like a rockstar. However, the real test of talent is what someone does when the plan breaks down.

Resilient teams are made up of people who know how to pivot, not just power through. That’s why adaptability needs to be a hiring and promotion filter, not just a “nice to have.”

I’ve stopped asking interview questions like, “Tell me about your biggest success.” Instead, I ask: “What’s a time when everything went wrong, and how did you respond?” I’m not looking for perfection. I’m looking for composure, creativity and a bias toward action.

And it doesn’t stop at hiring. Promoting the right people matters just as much. I’ve seen high performers crumble when the environment shifts and quiet contributors shine when they’re given space to lead through complexity. That’s who I want at the helm when things get tough.

Related: From Passive to Resilient — These 7 Strategies Will Empower Your Team to Thrive Through Change

Create systems, then break them (on purpose)

Systems bring clarity, and they help teams move fast and stay aligned. But if you cling to them too tightly, they can become a liability, especially in moments of change.

I’ve made this mistake before. We had a workflow that hummed like a machine until the market shifted. Suddenly, that “efficient system” became red tape. No one wanted to deviate from the process, even when it wasn’t working.

That’s when I realized that resilient teams build systems with flexibility baked in. They know when to follow the playbook and when to discard it.

One simple fix? Run what we call “controlled disruptions.” Every quarter, we test how the team handles curveballs: a last-minute priority shift, a change in tooling, a scenario where a key player is out. It’s not about creating chaos. It’s about building confidence that we can handle it.

Schedule a quarterly “system check” where your team audits processes and intentionally asks: “What’s still serving us, and what’s slowing us down?”

Normalize recovery, not burnout

Resilience isn’t just about pushing through hard things; it’s about recovering so you can keep going.

There’s a myth in leadership that mental toughness means working nonstop. But burning out your team doesn’t make them stronger. It just makes them quieter, less creative and eventually gone.

Resilient teams build endurance by taking care of their energy. That includes recovery. I’ve started treating rest like we treat deadlines: scheduled, protected and tracked. Leaders have to model that rest is part of performance.

And it works. I’ve seen teams rebound from stressful seasons faster and perform better when they feel they can breathe.

Add recovery rituals to your team rhythm. Try five-minute breathing breaks after intense meetings. Or start weekly check-ins with the question: “What do you need to reset this week?”

Stay grounded in purpose

When things get chaotic, purpose is the anchor. Metrics shift. Strategies pivot. Plans fall apart. But the why behind the work? That’s what keeps people going.

During a particularly rough quarter, when targets were moving and uncertainty was high, I stopped opening team meetings with dashboards. Instead, I shared stories. A customer who was impacted. A team member who went above and beyond. A small win that showed we were still making a difference.

Those stories did more to refocus and reenergize the team than any chart ever could. When people are reminded that their work matters, they’re far more likely to stay resilient, even when the road gets rocky.

Start your next team meeting with this prompt: “What moment this week reminded you why you do this work?” Keep the answers visible. That’s your team’s compass.

Related: 4 Ways to Build a More Adaptable, Resilient Culture at Your Organization

Resilience is a skill. Build it daily.

Resilient teams aren’t built in a crisis. They’re built in the small moments, the check-ins, the pivots, the space to breathe and the culture that rewards honesty over perfection.

And the same goes for you. As a leader, your own resilience sets the tone.

So, don’t wait for the next wave of uncertainty to prepare your team. Start now. Make adaptability part of the culture. Celebrate recovery. Reinforce purpose. And above all, create the kind of environment where people don’t just survive uncertainty — they grow because of it.

Choose one area — hiring, systems, recovery or purpose — and make a small shift this week. The best time to build resilience was yesterday. The second-best time is now.